When canals are dredged, enormous amounts of polluted sediments are stocked and then transported to the landfill with incredibly high costs of management. Agriport methodology, developed by ISE-CNR, has been tested as effective and cheap remediation process based on phytoremediation and land farming technique, with the purpose to decrease the concentration of hydrocarbons and heavy metals, converting eventually sediments into products. Further, CleanSed project (LIFE12 ENV/IT/00652) aiming at identifying a possible use destination of these remediated sediments, assesses their use in plant nursing with the purpose to reduce the agronomic soil need in open field plantations. Plots simulating an open field plantation with mix of sediments and agronomic soil at 33% and 50% were compared to control plots (100% agronomic soil, slightly silty). Three evergreen species (Viburnum tinus L., Photinia x fraseri var. red robin, Eleagnus macrophylla L.) have been planted and monitored in physiological parameters, biomass and leaf chemistry. Preliminary results of the first year experimentation suggest the potentiality of the remediated sediments: mixed substrates show greater water infiltration and moisture retention without stagnation. Concerning the species, putting special attention to the Mediterranean species V. tinus, it showed adaptability to the treatments for leaf gas exchanges: generally no difference between the treatments was found for photosynthesis and evapotranspiration, despite the trend of minimum water potential reached significant lowest values in T33. However, comparing the three treatments plants did not show difference for growth and final biomass and in root deepening and growth capacity though high variability within the treatments. On one side, T33 and T50 treatments showed a lower percentage of thin dead roots and better lateral elongation of new roots, on the other side the presence of sediments decreases the root ball cohesion especially in T50 (less compaction and resistance to penetration) needing soon to wrap soil in burlap. These results open further perspectives for the use of canal sediments in plant nursing as well as in other contexts and for other purposes.
From special waste into products: polluted canal sediments as substrates for plant nursing cultivation
Francesca Ugolini;Costanza Calzolari;Giuseppe Mario Lanini;Francesca Martelli;Luciano Massetti;Francesco Sabatini;Fabrizio Ungaro;Grazia Masciandaro
2015
Abstract
When canals are dredged, enormous amounts of polluted sediments are stocked and then transported to the landfill with incredibly high costs of management. Agriport methodology, developed by ISE-CNR, has been tested as effective and cheap remediation process based on phytoremediation and land farming technique, with the purpose to decrease the concentration of hydrocarbons and heavy metals, converting eventually sediments into products. Further, CleanSed project (LIFE12 ENV/IT/00652) aiming at identifying a possible use destination of these remediated sediments, assesses their use in plant nursing with the purpose to reduce the agronomic soil need in open field plantations. Plots simulating an open field plantation with mix of sediments and agronomic soil at 33% and 50% were compared to control plots (100% agronomic soil, slightly silty). Three evergreen species (Viburnum tinus L., Photinia x fraseri var. red robin, Eleagnus macrophylla L.) have been planted and monitored in physiological parameters, biomass and leaf chemistry. Preliminary results of the first year experimentation suggest the potentiality of the remediated sediments: mixed substrates show greater water infiltration and moisture retention without stagnation. Concerning the species, putting special attention to the Mediterranean species V. tinus, it showed adaptability to the treatments for leaf gas exchanges: generally no difference between the treatments was found for photosynthesis and evapotranspiration, despite the trend of minimum water potential reached significant lowest values in T33. However, comparing the three treatments plants did not show difference for growth and final biomass and in root deepening and growth capacity though high variability within the treatments. On one side, T33 and T50 treatments showed a lower percentage of thin dead roots and better lateral elongation of new roots, on the other side the presence of sediments decreases the root ball cohesion especially in T50 (less compaction and resistance to penetration) needing soon to wrap soil in burlap. These results open further perspectives for the use of canal sediments in plant nursing as well as in other contexts and for other purposes.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
